The Cycle Ends with Me
by Growlmon1
Summary: AU. Lapis' past relationship with Jasper was a cycle of horrible abuse, one that Lapis has gotten herself trapped in. Even after she's moved on to a new relationship, that cycle continues from none other than Lapis herself. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, especially the one she loves the most, but she doesn't know any better. But she's determined to make it stop.
1. The First Step

_The First Step_

Tonight was the night, she reminded herself. She couldn't keep living like this, and she had to be the one to make a change. God, she _hated_ change. It's why she'd stayed in this situation for so long. It was all she knew, and that was better than nothing.

The giant lump in the bed remained motionless; knocked out by the sleeping pills that had been slipped into their drink earlier that evening.

She grabbed her pack, filled with nothing more than a few outfits and her few treasured possessions, and tip-toed out of the bedroom. She stopped in the middle of her soon-to-be former living room, taking a moment to look at it all one last time. _Maybe this is a bad idea..._ She shook her head. She couldn't have second thoughts now; she'd just beat herself up about it the next morning and it would start all over again. It had to be now. Besides, someone was waiting for her.

At the table there was a piece of paper and a pen. She picked the pen up, and contemplated what sort of message to leave behind. She wanted to let it all out; spew out all her years of anger and pain. She wanted to make the reader feel bad about what they had done. _But would any of it matter?_ She sighed. _She wouldn't care, probably just rip it up. Besides, to say everything I wanted to would take hours. Don't have the time._ She stood for a few more minutes, indecisive. Finally, she touched the pen to paper and scribbled out one word:

 _Goodbye_

She opened the door, and her shoulders slumped as she stared at at the pouring rain. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her hood over her head and practically bolted from the porch. She wasn't too sure if she'd even closed the door all the way, but it didn't matter now.

Once she'd started running she couldn't stop, her legs had taken a mind of their own and kept going faster and faster. They didn't stop until she'd made it out to the highway. Using her sleeve, she wiped the sweat off her forehead. She pulled her hood down and ran a hand through her blue hair. Her lungs burned, and she decided to sit on the side of the road and catch her breath.

 _Doesn't this feel familiar?_ She bitterly laughed as the rain continued to wash over her, not that she minded it. She'd always loved the rain. Stemming back to her younger years, she noticed some of the best days of her life had occurred on rainy days. She actually began to see rainy days as her lucky ones. So the fact that it was raining this night of them all made her feel like she was making the right choice.

The honk of a horn and the bright flash a someone's high beams broke her from her thoughts. She shielded her eyes and saw a vehicle approaching. It was too dark, all she could see were the headlights. Immediately, panic began to set in. _She shouldn't have woken up so soon!_ She jumped to her feet and sprinted off. Her legs carried her as fast as they could, but when the car zoomed in front of her she knew it was futile.

"I don't know how you expected to outrun a car." An unfamiliar voice called out from the open window. The person turned on their interior lights, giving her a better look at them. It was a young girl with short black hair and large, yellow hoop earrings. "I was just trying to offer you a ride. Unless you wanna make the several mile hike to the next town."

Her body almost shook with relief, her fists tightening around the strap of her bag. She wasn't too comfortable getting in the car with this stranger, but the idea of a 'several mile hike' wasn't too appealing either. Especially since time was of the essence. She hesitantly nodded, and the stranger opened the passenger door for her.

"My name's Jenny." she introduced as the car started moving. "What's yours?"

"I'm...Lapis." It was only fair to give her name to the person helping her.

"Oh my God, that's such a pretty name!" Jenny gushed. "Where are you headed, Lapis?"

"Beach City."

"No way! You're pulling my leg right?" Lapis shook her head. "That's where I live! I've never seen you before, and believe me, it's a tiny place." Jenny glanced at the girl from the corner of her eye, noticing the bag she was clutching for dear life. She noticed the girl's appearance didn't look too...healthy. She must've been in some sort of trouble; that's why she reached out to her in the first place. It wasn't her place to ask, however. "Visiting or moving?"

"Um," Lapis fumbled. She hadn't given much thought past what would happen once she actually got away. "Both..? I guess."

Jenny had a suspicion of what was going on with the girl, but knew better than to say anything... yet. "That's cool. You've been here before?"

"Once or twice, not for very long though."

"Well, Lapis, you're going to love it here. I promise you that. It's small, and everyone's kinda weird, but... it's home."

Lapis laid her head against the window, watching the scenery pass by. Her stomach was in knots as she started thinking of the future. She had a friend waiting for her in Beach City, but what then? She'd need a job and a place to live. Plus the only person she knew in the city wasn't the most... preferable help when you're trying to get your life together, but a friendly face was better than none.

She hated change; it was always a mess.

* * *

"Here we are!" Jenny announced as they passed a sign saying "Welcome to Beach City!"

Lapis sat up, trying to stretch out as much as she could in the small vehicle. She looked out the window to all the small shops that almost littered the boardwalk, and beyond that was a beach and the endless stretch of the ocean. Lapis smiled at the sight.

Jenny pulled up to a pizzeria. "Here's our stop," she said, turning off the car. She and Lapis stepped out. "My family owns this pizza store, so if you ever need to find me I'll be here."

"Thank you so much for the ride."

"No worries. I know if I'd been walking down that highway I sure would've appreciated the lift." Jenny put a hand on her hip. "Do you know where you're going from here?"

"I.. uh.." Lapis hadn't been to Beach City enough to know her way around.

Jenny seemed to pick up on that. She fished her cellphone out of her pocket. "Need to call someone?"

"Thank you." Lapis dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Good morning, Jenny!" A loud, peppy voice proclaimed from the other line. Lapis could imagine the bright smile on the other person's face.

"Actually, no." She started. "Guess again."

There was a loud gasp. "Lapis! You made it! Wait, how'd you get Jenny's phone?"

"I kinda ran into her on the way. She let me use her phone since I don't know my way around yet."

"You're at her family's pizza place, right? I'm on my way!" The line went dead before she could say anything more.

"Thanks again." Lapis said, handing the phone back. "Would you mind if I waited inside?"

"Of course not!"

* * *

"Lapis!" The blue haired girl didn't have time to look up and see who called her name before she was tackled by a teenage boy with curly black hair. "It's so good to see you! I can't believe you're really here!"

"Hey, Steven." Lapis greeted with a smile. Her nerves began to settle now that she was in the company of her best friend.

Jenny, who was running the counter, noticed the boy and smiled. "Why am I not surprised Steven had something to do with the new person in town? How're you doing, Steven?"

"I'm great!" Hearing the boy's excitement caused Jenny to laugh. "Thank you so much for helping Lapis get here!"

"It was my pleasure. Just don't go dragging her into trouble."

Steven simply laughed as he grabbed Lapis' hand and dragged her along. "Come on, let's go to my house. Dad's already set up the couch for you."

Lapis smiled as Steven dragged her down the street. She was already beginning to feel better about her decision, now that she was far away and in better hands.

* * *

"Dad's out washing the Mayor's car right now, but this is where you'll be sleeping." Steven presented his living room like a game show host displaying the prize. Lapis giggled as she examined the tiny room. There was the pull out couch which had been made for her, a large chair which she assumed was for Steven's dad, both turned toward the small TV that was against the wall.

"Thank you, Steven." Lapis said, sitting down on the couch. "I really appreciate you helping me."

"Anything for a friend." Steven smiled. She's not sure if she'd ever seen that boy without one on his face. "Dad said it's okay for you to stay a little while. In the meantime I'll help you get back on your feet." The way his eyes gaze off to the side let her know he's hiding something.

"Is there something wrong?"

Steven waves his arms. "No! No!" Her eyes narrow; he's not a good liar. "Everything's fine!"

"Steven-"

"Look," he cut her off, scratching the back of his head. "It's nothing you need to worry about. Right now I just wanna focus on making everything better for you, okay?"

Lapis glared at him; if there was one thing she disliked about Steven, it was his habit of being _too_ nice. She sighed. There was clearly something going on, but she knew Steven wouldn't budge on the matter. "If you say so." She muttered, defeated. A yawn escaped her, and she realized how exhausted she felt.

Steven laughed. "You go to bed. Tomorrow we'll start with..." He froze; he wasn't quite sure how to help his friend. He was still a minor with his dad and aunts to take care of him. How was he supposed to help Lapis learn to take care of herself?

"How about finding a job?" Lapis mumbled, laying out on the couch.

He snapped his fingers, of course! "Bingo!" When he turned to his friend again, he saw she'd passed out. A small, sad smile appears on his face. "Goodnight, Lapis." As he made his way outside to his dad, a sense of dread came over him. _What am I going to do?_


	2. Welcome To Beach City

_Welcome to Beach City_

Lapis awoke for the fifth (or was it the sixth?) time that morning. She remembers waking up at random intervals only to roll over and go back to sleep. It seemed neither her body or mind wanted to function today.

 _You can't lay on Steven's couch all day. Aren't we supposed to be doing something?_ With a groan she forced her body upwards until she was sitting up. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She swayed slightly to stop herself from falling back down and returning to her slumber. Lapis rubbed vigorously at her eyes to help them adjust to being open. When her vision cleared up she noticed a towel hanging over the side of the couch; a little white piece of paper on it.

 _Figured you'd wanna shower when you woke up. I'll be outside when you're ready. - Steven_

Lapis smiled; the young boy was too considerate. She made sure to fold the bed back into the couch, leaving her blanket folded neatly on top, before making her way toward the bathroom.

As Lapis was in the midst of her shower, her mind started to wander. She couldn't help but think of the person she'd left behind, and what she could possibly be doing now. _Probably losing her shit, no doubt. Throwing things around the apartment, breaking things._

 _A loud crash echoed through the apartment. The coffee table had been thrown against the wall and exploded into large splinters, a sizable hole in the wall with the majority of the table still stuck in it. Mere inches from the table was Lapis. The frail girl was shaking from both fear and relief. She was lucky the table had missed, but it terrified her to think that it'd been purposely thrown at her to begin with._

 _She watched as the giant woman in the center of the room paced back and forth. Her large, muscular body was tensed, and her breathing was loud and quick. Lapis could almost see the restraint physically holding the larger woman back from doing anymore damage to both the furniture and herself._

 _Lapis closed her eyes as she pressed herself back against the wall even more, as if she could just melt into the wall if she tried hard enough. She stepped backwards-_

\- and slipped as her foot made contact with the wet bathtub. "W-whoa!" Lapis cried out. Her arms flailed out in an attempt to grab something that would stop her fall. She latched onto the shower curtain only for it to pull off from the wall and come crashing down with her. Lapis' side smacked the edge of the tub as the upper half of her body fell outside the tub, her legs still inside. "Ooowww." She moaned. Lapis sat like that for a moment. _This pretty much sums up the mess that is my life right now._ Lapis pulled herself up and quickly shut off the water as to not flood Steven's bathroom. Finishing her shower now wasn't something she felt like doing anymore.

Lapis sighed, running a hand through her wet hair. _It's time to stop worrying about Jasper._ She reminded herself. It was all behind her now. She wrapped the towel around herself before reattaching the shower curtain. _There, now besides my possibly broken ribs it's like nothing ever happened._

Her reflection from the bathroom mirror caught her attention. She looked at the area which had hit the bathtub, and noticed it was red and quickly getting darker. _Another bruise._ She mused, taking a moment to scan all the other marks that painted across her flesh.

She dug through her pack and pulled out a simple shirt and pair of jeans. She didn't own much clothing, and had grabbed even less than that when she made her bag.

She couldn't help but notice how baggy the shirt was on her body. She knew it was a medium, which once again reminded her exactly how skinny she'd gotten. Lapis hugged herself. _Everything's gonna be okay. Just relax. Just breathe._ She took a deep breath before exiting the bathroom. She grabbed her hoodie, scowling slightly when she felt it still wet from the previous night. She'd have to suck it up, she thought as she threw it over herself regardless. She never went anywhere without it covering her anymore.

The sounds of water and laughter were the first things she heard as she opened the front door. She quickly caught sight of Steven running away from a large stream of water.

"I surrender! Mercy!" He pleaded between laughs. The water was coming from a pressurized hose held by an older man that Lapis recognized as Greg Universe; Steven's father. He turned off the hose, giving Steven a chance to wipe his face. When he opened his eyes he noticed Lapis standing by the door. "Lapis!" he ran over to the girl and grabbed her hand. "Hey!"

"Hey, Steven." she laughed at the boy's energy.

"Dad, you remember Lapis, right?" Steven asked as Greg walked over to the pair.

"Oh yeah, Steven mentions you a lot." Greg said, holding his hand out. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Lapis shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, too. I really appreciate you letting me stay for a while."

"It's no biggie," Greg scratched the back of his head. "and Steven here wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, but I'm glad to help." He started putting his equipment away. "So, any plans for today?"

Steven nodded. "Lapis is trying to find a job, so I'm gonna help her look."

Greg furrowed his eyebrows. "Kinda a late start on that wouldn't you say?"

Lapis blinked, turning to the younger boy. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Um, almost four in the afternoon."

"What?" Lapis almost shouted. Had she really slept so long?

"But it's okay!" Steven said quickly. "Better late than never am I right?"

"That's one way to look at it." Greg mumbled, leaving the two to their own.

"Come on! We can still look around and I can give you a tour. We can always pick it up again tomorrow."

"Well, okay." Lapis laughed as she was once again dragged off by the young boy.

* * *

Steven lived on the outskirts of Beach City, so the nearest place to his house was the beach boardwalk where he'd met Lapis the previous day. The pair had stopped to say hello to Jenny at the pizzeria. Steven had explained their mission to the teenager and asked if she knew anywhere that was hiring.

"Well, things here are getting pretty busy due to the summer rush," Jenny explained. "but Dad's pretty set on this being a 'family only' restaurant, otherwise I'd hire you myself." She took a minute to think. "Y'know, Mr. Smiley's always complaining about being 'funderstaffed', maybe go see what he says."

"You're right!" Steven checked his phone before gasping. "But the arcade closes at five! We gotta hurry! Thanks Jenny bye!"

"Bye bye. Good luck!" Jenny waved at two as Steven dragged them off.

The arcade wasn't far away, but when they arrived they found that it had closed early.

"Awww." Steven whined, pulling his face downwards.

"Hey, it's okay. There's always tomorrow, right?" Lapis said, trying to cheer the boy up. On the inside she was relieved, however. The idea of working at an arcade or an amusement park didn't sound appealing at all. She didn't have any good memories of those kind of places. Now whenever she thought of them she felt sick and developed a headache.

"I guess you're right."

Lapis laughed. "Why don't we hold off until tomorrow? It's better to get an early start on these things anyway. Why don't you just show me around Beach City?"

Steven smiled. "Okay. Well you already know where the arcade and pizza place are. So let's start at The Big Donut."

"Lead the way."

The Big Donut was a small donut shop located at the very edge of the boardwalk heading out to the beach. It was Steven's favorite place to visit.

"Hi Sadie! Hi Lars!" He greeted the moment he burst in the front door.

The short, blonde woman at the counter smiled. "Hi Steven." The taller male standing next to her simple groaned at the young boy's presence. Sadie perked up at seeing a stranger with him. "Oh, who's your new friend?"

"This is Lapis." Steven introduced.

"H-Hi!" Lars shouted, his voice cracking slightly. He pushed past Sadie to get to the counter. "H-How can I help you?" He brushed back his hair before shooting a smile at Lapis. Sadie scowled before rolling her eyes at the boy's behavior.

Lapis couldn't help but laugh at him, causing his face to fall. "What's so funny?" Steven asked, oblivious. Lapis only laughed harder. She held her stomach as it start to burn. Steven smiled; he didn't get it, but he was glad Lapis was having fun. "Can we get two donuts, please?"

"Whatever." Lars grumbled, his face turning red from embarrassment. He put two donuts in a bag and dropped the bag on the counter before walking off to the back.

Sadie struggled to hide her smile. "So what're you up to today?"

"Just showing Lapis around. She's moving here." he clarified.

"That's cool. Always nice to meet a new friend." Sadie stuck her hand out.

Lapis, finally calmed down from her laughter, shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"So where are you from Lapis?" Sadie asked.

Lapis hesitated, unsure if she should be honest. _Quite being so paranoid. I doubt anyone here even knows Jasper._ "I'm from Jersey."

"O-oh." Sadie put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her giggles. "Um, was it nice there?"

"It sucked." Lapis answered with a smile. She knew of Jersey's negative reputation; a well deserved one in her opinion.

"Well, call me biased but I'm sure you'll find Beach City more pleasant."

 _Oh you have no idea._ Lapis thought. "I'm sure I will, thanks."

"Hey, Sadie!" Lars called from the back. "Can we start getting ready to close? I'm not trying to be here all night!"

Sadie shook her head. "If only he worked as much as he complained, right?"

Steven laughed. "Goodnight Sadie. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

"She was nice." Lapis commented as they left The Big Donut.

"Yeah, Sadie's the best. Lars is pretty cool, too, once you get to know him."

Lapis stopped and looked out to the ocean. The sun was setting, causing the sky to turn a blend of red and purple. The ocean looked bluer than ever as it contrasted against the colors above it. Lapis couldn't help but admire how the clouds reflected all the different colors of the sunset. "It's beautiful." she whispered.

Steven smiled. He knew of Lapis' love for the ocean. That's part of why he'd convinced her to move to Beach City; he knew she'd be happy here.

"Can we walk the beach for a while?"

His smile fell. "U-um." His eyes flicked down the beach. "It's kinda late isn't it? Besides my dad doesn't like me at the beach at night. I-it gets pretty cold, and he says I could get sick-" He stopped his rambling when he felt a hand on his head.

"It's okay." Lapis said softly. She smiled to hide her disappointment. "It's not like it's going anywhere, right?"

"Y-yeah." Steven said, rubbing his arm. He felt awful lying to Lapis, and he felt even worse telling her 'no' for something he knew she really wanted to do. "Come on," he started, hoping to cut through the weird atmosphere. "We'll take a walk downtown on the way back home and I can show you the rest of the city. Well, most of it."

Lapis took another look at the ocean. _He's hiding something... but what?_ She shook her head. Steven would never hurt her. If he was hiding something from her, he had to have a good reason for it. She took a deep breath. _What did I just say about being paranoid? You're safe here, Lapis. Learn to relax._ She was snapped out of her thoughts by the young boy calling her name. "I'm coming."

* * *

"-and that's the movie theater. Over there is a cafe, but I don't really drink coffee so I almost never go there.. Oh! Over there's the bookstore, my friend Connie and I go there all the time! And that's-"

Lapis simply walked along while Steven listed off each building and the significance it had to him. Despite only being up for a few hours, she'd felt herself get tired, and at this point she was exhausted. "How much farther until we get back to your place?"

"Oh, it's just down this way." Steven led them across the street. "Are you okay? You seem like you haven't been having fun."

"No, no!" she waved her hand. "I am. I'm just really tired today for some reason." She rubbed her eyes as her vision of the boy was starting to blur. "I'm sorry, you're trying to help me and I'm just-"

"It's okay." Steven said softly. "I know you've been through a lot, and it's gonna take some time for everything to get better." The car wash came into view. "I really hope you like it here, Lapis. I don't want you to be sad anymore."

Lapis blinked away the tears she felt starting to prick her eyes. Steven showed her such kindness; something she didn't deserve, especially from him, but he gave it to her anyway, unconditionally. "You're the best, Steven Universe."


	3. Lifeguard Lapis

_Lifeguard Lapis_

Lapis grimaced as Steven led her into the arcade. The bright lights and loud music of the place were already starting to give her a headache. Steven assured her she was likely to get a job as it was notoriously as much as she didn't like the place, she had to get a job. She wasn't so snobbish to be picky about where to work when she was in such a desperate situation. _You'd probably develop an immunity to the atmosphere after a while anyway._

"Wait right here. I'll go hunt down Mr. Smiley." Lapis gave him a thumbs up as he ran off. She leaned against one of the machines and glanced around.

She never really played games. First she hadn't been allowed, and then when she was with Jasper the woman had only ever made fun of her for trying. So Lapis got used to sitting off to the side and watching others play. With that in mind, Lapis had a thought. She looked down at the machine she was leaning on.

There was an image of some shady looking people about to be hit by a massive hammer. Above the image in bright lights was a display that read : WACKER MAN

She'd heard of this kind of game; the figures pop out of the holes and you have to hit them. She picked up the large foam 'hammer' and spun it in her hands. She giggled to herself. _Oh why not?_ She took a quarter out of her pocket and popped it in the machine.

The lights flared up even brighter (How was _that_ possible?) as the machine activated. The first figure popped out, and Lapis hesitated. _I'm supposed to hit it, right?_ She slammed down the hammer, but the figure had already retreated back into the hole.

"You missed!" The machine booed at Lapis. Her face flushed pink from embarrassment. She was slightly glad Steven wasn't around to laugh at her. Another figure popped up, and Lapis tried to be faster this time. She swung the hammer blindly and ended up striking the machine just next to her target. It retreated, and a disappointed whine came from the machine. "So close!" Her face got redder and she was getting slightly annoyed. She couldn't be this bad!

The machine started getting faster, and Lapis found it to hard to keep up. She was either too slow or kept missing.

"You missed!"

"Almost had it!"

"Oh, so close!"

"Oh, shut up!" Lapis hollered, slamming the hammer down on the machine. A figure popped up from the hole and knocked the hammer back into her face. Lapis put a hand against her face. For a piece of foam that sure _hurt._

To her horror, the sound of laughter reached her ears. She looked over and saw a short, blonde girl covering her mouth, but her laughter was still loud enough to be heard.

"I-I'm sorry." she squeaked out through her mirth. "That was just.. too funny!"

Lapis was sure her entire face was red. She set the hammer back on the machine. "I don't usually play, so no wonder I'm not very good."

"That's fine!" The other girl said quickly, coming a little closer. "Games aren't for everyone. Even simplistic ones like this... um.." Her words fell silent as Lapis shot her a glare. Her green eyes looked anywhere but at the angry girl in front of her. "S-so what're you doing here, then? If not to viciously assault my machines?"

"I came with a friend who's helping me get a job." Lapis explained, grateful for the change in subject. "He left to look for the guy who runs this place."

"Mr. Smiley?" Lapis nodded. "He's not here today." A look of irritation crossed her features and her nasally voice lowered. "Ever since he hired me he hardly comes in anymore."

"Oh, you work here?"

"Yes, and if it were up to me I'd more than appreciate the help." She shrugged her shoulders. "Unfortunately we'll just have to wait until he decides to show up and let him know someone wants the job. I wouldn't know when that would be, however, like I said his schedule as of late is rather...sporadic."

"So, what, I'd just keep coming back until I happen to catch him?"

"I wouldn't suggest that. It'd just be a huge waste of your time." The smaller girl thought for a moment. "I could just take down your information and give it to him when I see him, if that's alright with you."

"Sure."

The girl went behind one of the counters and got a sticky note and pen. "Name?"

"Lapis Lazuli."

There was a pause. "Nice name."

Lapis looked up and saw a small blush on the girl's face. It put a smile on her own. "Thanks. What's yours?"

The girl jumped slightly, looking at Lapis with wide eyes. _I didn't expect her to hear me._ "Um, P-Peridot." She slid the paper toward Lapis. "Here, if you want to leave your number so Mr. Smiley can give you a call."

She looked at Peridot and smirked. "You sure it's for Mr. Smiley?"

Peridot's face turned bright red. "Who else would it be for?!" Her voice came out extremely high.

"Surely not a cute, blond stranger." Lapis said monotonously, scribbling down her phone number. She took a moment to reread what she just wrote, and her eyes widened in horror. Jasper's phone number stared back at her. She scratched out the number so hard she ripped the paper. Peridot gave her an odd look. "U-um, I actually don't have a phone."

Peridot lifted an eyebrow. "Doesn't everyone have a phone?"

"It's an accessory, not a necessity."

"Well, is there any possible way to get ahold of you?"

Lapis smirked once more, resting her head on her hands. "You seem determined to get some sort of contact information." She found it quite entertaining to tease the easily flustered girl.

"Grrr." Peridot groaned in annoyance. She opened her mouth before snapping it shut. Lapis watched her take a deep breath before crumpling the paper she'd written her name on. "Nevermind." She said softly before walking away from the counter.

Lapis suddenly felt bad, and reached out to stop the other girl. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just joking around."

Peridot shot her a look. "I accept your apology."

"Lapis!" Both girls jumped at the loud voice. Steven came running over. "Lapis, I couldn't find- OMG Peridot! You're back!" The boy ran behind the counter and engulfed the small girl in a bear hug.

"Steven!" Peridot shouted, kicking her feet wildly in the air. "This is very unprofessional looking!"

He laughed. "Aww I missed you, too!"

"That is _not_ what I said!"

Lapis couldn't help but laugh as she watched the scene before her. Steven was short for his age, but Peridot was just slightly shorter than he was. To see her struggle helplessly in his grasp was hilarious.

Peridot blushed as she heard Lapis' laughter. "Steven," she started, trying not to yell at the boy. "please put me down."

"Hmmm." Steven took a moment to think about it. "Okay!"

"Thank you." Peridot straightened her dark green flannel, it having been slightly skewed by Steven's 'attack'. She shifted her gaze between Steven and Lapis. "A new friend of yours, Steven?"

"Nah, me and Lappy go way back." Steven said, leaning against the counter to give off a 'cool' attitude.

"Oh." Peridot looked at Lapis again. _First time I'm hearing about her._ "I, uh, take it you don't get out much, then?"

 _"_ Oh, I don't live here. I mean, I didn't. Until now... I just moved here." Lapis scratched the back of her head, gazing off to the side. _You're such a loser, Lapis._ She suddenly found herself unable to look at Peridot. She got along well with Steven, and considered him her best friend, but _his_ friends were a different story. _Well this sucks, she seemed pretty cool, too. And cu-_ She cut her own thoughts off, a blush quickly rising to her face. _What's the matter with you, Lapis? That's literally the last thing you should be thinking about anyone right now!_

While Lapis was busy mentally berating herself, she failed to notice Peridot staring at her. Unknown to Lapis, Peridot was having similar thoughts. _Well.. She hasn't chased me out of town yet._ She thought, dryly. _You're being ridiculous Peridot. The chances of her knowing anything about you are extremely low, especially since she just got here. And Steven's not the kind to create drama among people. But now she's not even looking at me. Perhaps she does know and she's just trying to be nice. She probably hates me.. No, no. No negative thinking Peridot..._

Peridot finally tore her eyes away as she realized she was staring. When she did, however, her eyes landed on something on the other side of the arcade. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted her arch-nemesis.

 _Onion._

A small child with a small swirl of blonde hair upon his head stood by the ski ball machine. He just stood there, staring at the machine. His head jerked in Peridot's direction, and the two locked eyes. The stare down continued for a solid minute before Onion lifted his hand; a small screwdriver held in his grasp.

"Don't you dare." Peridot mumbled.

Onion simply stared back at her. Then, with a quick flip of the wrist, he jammed the flat-tip screwdriver into the ticket holder and busted it open. The tickets inside didn't even hit the ground before Onion scooped them up and ran off.

Peridot released an animalistic cry as she bolted off after the child.

Both Lapis and Steven jumped at the sudden noise, watching the girl run off. Steven caught sight of Onion, and instantly knew what had occurred. "Oh, Onion." he said with a sigh. He ran to go help Peridot with Lapis trailing behind.

They found Peridot stopped just outside the arcade on the boardwalk. Steven followed her gaze and spotted a crowd on the beach. "What's going on?"

The three joined the crowd and pushed their way to the front. A distressed woman was crying out toward the ocean, a man that Steven recognized as Mayor Dewey stood beside her in a consoling manner.

"My son is out there!"

"Ma'am, please, just calm down."

"What's going on?" Steven asked, concern and fear laced into his voice.

Sadie turned to him, a worried look on her face. "Some lady's son got swept out to sea by the current."

"Isn't anyone gonna rescue him?"

She seemed at a loss for words. "I.. I honestly don't know. We don't have our own police or fire department, they'd have to come from the next city over. But by then.." Sadie trailed off.

Steven looked back out to the ocean. He squinted his eyes and just before the horizon point he could see the silhouette of a small figure bobbing in the water. He felt tears prick his eyes. _If only Garnet was here..._

A flash of blue crossed his vision; he recognized it as Lapis sprinting toward the water.

"What is she doing?!" Peridot cried out.

Lapis dove into the water at full speed. The cold shock of the water didn't faze her; her mind only focused on reaching the child. Swimming was the one thing Lapis excelled at, having been swimming since she was a child. She broke through the waves with ease, and could see the boy quickly get closer and closer. She took a deep breath before allowing her head to submerge in the water. When she resurfaced she could heard the little boy screaming.

"Hey!" She called out to him. "Everything's gonna be okay." As soon as she was close enough she wrapped her arms tight around the little boy. Almost immediately after they were struck by a large wave, knocking them underneath the water. Lapis pushed the boy above her head so he'd reach the surface first. He was still crying and struggling in Lapis' arms. "It's okay. I've got you. Everything's okay." She repeated, turning the boy's face to hers. "I gotcha." His wailing ceased and his movements became less erratic, but he was still panicking. "You wanna see your mommy? Let's get you back to mommy." Another wave washed over them, and the boy clung harder to Lapis. Once it passed, she maneuvered the boy so he was on her back, his small arms latched around her neck, almost choking her. "Just hold on as tight as you can. Deep breaths." She waited a moment to gather her bearings before she started making her way back to the shore.

Lapis prided herself a good swimmer, but as with any sport one must maintain a certain fitness. Lapis wasn't exactly the most healthy person at the moment, combine that with the extra weight on her back and the resistance from the current, she found herself struggle to swim back. Slight panic started to settle in. What if she couldn't make it? What if she and the boy drowned out here?

Another wave smacked into her and shoved her underwater. She felt her body hit the sand on the ocean floor, and she could feel the under-tow start to yank her back. She felt the boy's arms tighten around her neck, and she had to fight the urge to gasp for air, knowing she would probably drown if she did. Lapis pushed herself up with as much strength as she could, and kicked like mad toward the surface. She couldn't suppress the cry she unleashed once she broke it. The coughing she heard behind her told her the boy was still breathing.

 _I am_ not _dying in the ocean! I refuse!_ With her newfound clarity, Lapis swam like mad toward the beach. She was practically clawing at the water, dragging them both back no matter how much the ocean tried to stop her. She didn't know how much farther she had to go; her concentration placed solely on staying above the water, keeping the child attached to her, and of course, breathing.

Something grabbed at her arms, and she started to thrash against it before she heard a voice: "We got you!"

Steven and Peridot helped pull Lapis up on her feet and out of the water. Steven removed the boy from Lapis' back just before the girl collapsed on the sand, coughing and gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" Peridot asked, kneeling beside her. Lapis didn't move except for her wrist, shooting a thumbs up. Peridot sighed with relief.

"Mommy!" The boy cried as Steven handed him back to the woman. He clung to her shirt and sobbed into her shoulder. His mother was crying as well, kissing his face and mumbling her relief.

"Lapis, that was amazing!" Steven cheered, kneeling at her side next to Peridot.

She managed to sit up, but still felt wobbly and out of breath. "Oh, that? W-was nothing, could do it again in a..." she stopped to breathe. "..heartbeat."

"Thank you!" The woman dropped to her knees and hugged Lapis tight. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"

Lapis winced as she felt her bruises being pressed, but endured it until the hysterical woman was finished.

The woman stood up and turned to Mayor Dewey. "What an amazing lifeguard you have! If it weren't for her I..." she trailed off, trying to stop herself from bursting back out in tears.

Mayor Dewey was dumbfounded. "Lifeguard?" He mentally slapped himself. _Play along!_ "Well, of course! When you live on the beach itself you gotta have the very best on duty to keep our citizens safe."

Peridot rolled her eyes. "There he goes again, making himself look good."

"Oh my gosh!" Jenny's voice caught their attention as the group of teenagers made their way over to the trio. "That was so brave! You literally saved that boy's life!"

"Someone had to." Lapis mumbled, looking away from the crowd of eyes that were suddenly staring at her.

Sadie came over with a towel and a cup of hot coffee. "Here, this might help."

Lapis smiled at her. "Thank you."

The woman and her son, after more thanking and many more tears, departed, and the excitement was beginning to die down. Mayor Dewey went over to Lapis. "I personally wanted to thank you, Miss. What you did was very heroic, and I think I speak for all of us when I say how grateful we are for you to have been here."

She blushed, being the center of attention was never her thing. "It was nothing, really."

Jenny strutted in between Lapis and the Mayor. "You knooow, Mr. Mayor, that lady had a point. With the summer season coming around and attracting a lot of tourists to the beach, it's a good thing to have a lifeguard on duty. Especially a hero, like Lil' Lapis here. Otherwise, think of the headlines if someone else were to get caught like that and Lapis _wasn't_ around to bail you out." She said that last part too quietly for him to hear.

Mayor Dewey looked at her confused for a moment before putting the pieces together. "Oh, yes! I'd never want anyone to feel unsafe in my own city!" He turned back to Lapis. "Miss Lapis, as the Mayor of Beach City it is from the bottom of my heart that I ask you to consider becoming Beach City's Official Lifeguard during the summer holidays."

Lapis' eyes went wide, as did Steven and Peridot's. "You should totally do it, Lapis! You love the ocean, what better job could you want?"

Peridot nudged her side. "I suppose it'll be better than assaulting the arcade machines." Lapis couldn't help but laugh at her remark.

"Okay." She and Mayor Dewey shook hands on it.

"Great! Fantastic! Now, the summer season won't officially begin for about two weeks. So stop by my office within these next few days and we'll go over all the small details."

Lapis' smiled widened as the reality started to become for real. _Did I really just get this job?_ "Yeah, totally!"

Steven hugged her around the waist. "Whoohoo! Mission success! I say this calls for a little celebration dinner."

Still a little disoriented from the ordeal, Lapis struggled to stay on her feet as Steven shook her with his own excitement. "Okay! Okay!" She placed one hand on Steven's head and the other on her stomach. "I feel a little sick." She took a moment to catch her breath.

Peridot was silent for a moment before clearing her throat. "So... seafood, anyone?"


End file.
